Island of a thousand dreams
by liquid metal muse
Summary: This could be an answer to the question ‘what if John, Mon, Scully, Mulder and Skinner would end up on an abandoned island in the middle of the Pacific after a plane crash?’ In other words: what if Lost meets the Xfiles?
1. Lost

The sun shone like a bright, white diamond. The ocean had a crisp, crystal blue colour. You could easily see the sand at the bottom, which was getting closer and closer to the surface, you could discern little crabs and occasionally there would be all sorts of tiny fish flashing by. 

You wouldn't believe that this was real – because you were supposed to be up there in that blue sky.

You should be in a plane on your way to Australia. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you can still picture yourself soaring above the clouds instead of where you are at the moment, instead of what you are doing right now, which is floating around on a scrap of debris in the Pacific Ocean.

Your senses told you something was wrong and a split second later, so did your mind. No more time for panic. You are alive and that's what matters.

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John Doggett opened his eyes. He slowly turned his head and his eyes widened. All around him bodies were floating in between the debris. Some were obviously dead whereas others showed faint signs of life.

His thoughts immediately went out to his partners – Agent Scully, Agent Reyes, Mulder, A.D. Skinner.

_Where are they? Are they alive? Where am I?_

His head felt like a chunk of lead. It was like solving a puzzle whilst being blindfolded. The pieces wouldn't fit, the slideshow inside his brain stalled and all of the pictures were in the wrong order. His memory needed some time to recover. He needed time to recover.

The flight would take them from LAX to Sydney. The FBI's X-Files department normally did not operate outside the US. But this case promised to be very special. It involved – as usual – a UFO. Except that this UFO had abducted several US citizens before it headed for Australia.

At first Doggett had objected to being sent over to investigate this highly unusual case. He still wasn't quite convinced of this UFO stuff. Scully had given him another lecture and Mulder, though he was no longer an official FBI agent, had been incredibly eager to help his ex-partner persuade Doggett.

Eventually he caved. Doggett knew that whatever awaited them it would either be another case of lunatics trying to get some attention (which equals being tricked by some nutcase who probably couldn't think of a better way to spend his time) or - and this was the one option he'd rather not analyze any further – they'd run into a pack of those mean green men for real.

Sure, Mulder's abduction had left a lasting impression but it wasn't enough to get him into this 'Do you want to believe?' thing. He knew where to draw a line.

However, even a critical soul like John Jay Doggett would sooner or later have to admit that he was wrong and that his colleagues had been right all along.

_Relax John. This is a dream. A bad dream. A hell of a nightmare. You never liked flights that take you half around the globe so blame it on the distance and the jetlag and what have you._

But his eyes weren't lying. That blurry shape in front of him was an island. The water around him was there. Doggett realized that he had to take the chance. If this island turned out to be a mirage after all, then he would have to live with that. He groaned as he let go of the chunk of what used to be a part of the plane's wing and slid into the water. Even though he had been drifting around for quite a while now, the water felt surprisingly different now that his entire body was surrounded by it.

Slowly he made for the beach. The sand was glistening in the sun's powerful rays. The closer he got to the island, the more he wished he hadn't abandoned the piece of debris that had saved his life. He would not be able to keep on swimming like this forever. Besides, he didn't have a clue where they were so how would he know which direction to take?

He began to grow weaker. Each stroke sent sharp pangs of pain throughout his entire body. It was like being stung by a million bees. Just when he thought he couldn't go on, his hand got hold of something solid. Something that resembled sand. His eyes opened again and this time he didn't need to blink twice before he was willing to believe what he saw.

He had made it. The island. He had made it this far. He smiled and coughed as he dragged himself further along the coastline. Eventually he reached the part of the beach that was not affected by the tide.

Doggett lay on his back, taking deep breaths. He finally turned his head to the sound that was surprisingly nearby. He sprang to his feet as he saw two figures approaching the island. At first sight they appreared to be swimming very slowly but then he realized that they were being pushed ashore by the waves. One of them was a man. He couldn't make out who it was. But the second body was clearly that of a woman. A red-haired woman.

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A/N: Okay so this is supposed to be a Lost cross-over. But technically speaking it will be an X-Files fic. I won't include any characters from J.J. Abrams briljant TV series.

Just think of this as an answer to the question 'what if John, Mon, Scully, Mulder and Skinner would end up on an abandoned island in the middle of the Pacific after a plane crash?'

Yeah this also happens to be my first fic at FanFic Net. Plus you have to know that English isn't my mother tongue – I am actually a native speaker of Dutch. So please be kind…


	2. Found

On a remote island in the Pacific, a group of people was trying to figure out how to move on with their lives. Even though survival would soon become their main concern, they were now having other things on their mind. One of those things was helping fellow survivors out of the water. 

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Soon after they regained consciousness, Scully and Skinner heard someone coughing. It was Mulder. He had swallowed a mouthful of salty water in an attempt to shout at his partners. He was now crawling towards them like a snake. Scully and Doggett ran over to help him up.

'Thanks' he whispered before another coughing-fit deprived him of the ability to talk.

Doggett felt a wave of relief sweeping through his body. He wasn't alone anymore. Moreover, these were the people he knew, the ones he cared for. Nevertheless, he would not doubt for a second to rescue the life of a total stranger. In this kind of situation one cannot afford to be selfish. The only way to survive is to work together.

More survivors found their way to the island. It was almost as if this island was a beacon that beckoned them closer. Like a predator waiting for the prey. Something was wrong with the island. Unfortunately, its occupants did not know this, for they felt no need to explore the heart of the dense jungle that bordered the beach. For the time being, they would spend their days and nights out on the beach. During the day they would seek shelter in the shade of the palm trees and the bushes on the outskirts of the jungle. At night they'd sleep soundly beneath the starry sky.

For Doggett, the biggest surprise of that day had been the arrival of one particular survivor. He had never dared to believe that Fate would have put them on the same plane. Nor had he ever thought that she, like him, would survive the crash.  
But there she was, wet and vulnerable, coughing like a chain-smoker (though it wasn't the foul whisps of cigarette smoke that came out of her mouth) and clawing the sand just like he had done so many hours ago.

Barbara looked up at him and smiled. She hadn't smiled like that at Doggett in years – not since the day Luke died, the day that marked a slow but steady decline, the day their marriage froze, only to burst apart into a thousand shards later on. Broken pieces that could never be glued together again. But that was then and this is now. Back then, the situation and the surroundings had been very, very different – quite the opposite of where she is at the moment. In fact, she can hardly believe that all this is true. For all she knows, this is heaven and they had all simultaneously died and their souls had wandered off to this Eden-like island.

'John' she said. 'Is this heaven?'

'No, I don't think so.' He paused and then added 'Hi Barbara. Good to see you.'

Doggett held out his hand and almost effortlessly helped her to her feet. Barbara couldn't suppress a smile of admiration as he held her tight in his strong, masculine arms. She was surprised to feel that she was getting aroused. After all these years she was still attracted to this man. And with these thoughts came the memories of passionate nights, the images of his naked body and more stuff that is not meant to heard or seen by small children.

To Barbara it was as if she fell in love again. Had she ever fallen out of love? Was it really over? She wasn't sure anymore. John was staring at her. He took in every detail, every wrinkle (and there were few, even though she was nearly forty), every twinkle in her eyes. He couldn't believe his luck, either. And he too felt the flame of passion, which had been lying dormant deep within him, grow higher and higher. If they had been all alone on the island, they would have thrown themselves on the sand and made love until they had no energy left.

'Come on, there are some people over there I'd like you to meet' John said. He took her hand and they walked over to where Scully, Mulder and Skinner were sitting.

The sun began to set, providing the island's new inhabitants with a sight they wouldn't easily forget. And then night covered the island in its dark cloak and soon thereafter the sky lit up as millions upon millions of stars came out of their hiding place.

'Does anybody here know what happened?' Mulder groaned, as he waved his hand furiously after having burned his finger. He knew he shouldn't have tried to pick a piece of coconut out of a fire but hunger had overpowered his sense of logic. To Scully, it seemed as if Mulder would never grow up.

'I do. The plane crashed and all of us were lucky enough not to have died when it exploded and crashed into the ocean. And then we also managed to reach this island, which seems to be the ultimate miracle of the day' Skinner's reply was dripping with sarcasm.

'Oh right. I'm sorry if that sounded like a stupid question' Mulder retorted.

'Actually, that _was_ a stupid question' Skinner said.

'Well, in that case, I will ask someone else'

Mulder got up and walked over to Scully, who was standing nearby, looking up at the stars. She hadn't heard him approach and was startled by the sound of his voice.

'Fox! What are you doing?' she managed to say.

'I want to talk, Dana.' He tried the puppy-eyes-pout. It didn't work.

'Look, I'm busy here. I'm…' Scully tried, but Mulder wouldn't let her finish.

'Busy? How can you be busy? There's nothing we can do!'

Mulder made it sound as if this was Purgatory and the only possible thing you could do was wait for some kind of angel to descend from the skies to take you to Heaven. Scully did not appear to be amused by this remark.

'Listen, if that plane hadn't crashed and we'd be in Australia hunting UFO's, I'd probably have listened to your every word but right now I'm trying to find out where we are.' she said, emphasizing 'hadn't' and 'where'.

Mulder looked puzzled. He blinked, opened and closed his mouth like a fish and finally shouted 'But.. but… this place is probably not even on the map! Which is one thing neither of us has in their pockets!'

Scully sighed and moved away. Mulder simply stood there, gazing at her like a cat would when you let a dead mouse dangle in front of its eyes. The only difference was that Mulder's gaze did not convey a single hint of intelligence. He was dumb-struck by Scully's indifference. In his head, all sorts of wicked theories began to take form.

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A/N: I'll try to update every week though keep in mind that there might be weeks when I'm really busy - it might take a week and a half or even weeks. University can be hell, you know.

I wanted to re-tell the pilot episode of Lost, yet I felt the need to do things my way, so if somethings sound familiar whereas other don't, please don't blame for me being inaccurate, because I'm simply using the idea of Lost as inspiration for upcoming adventures. Err, you'll see what I mean…


	3. Revelations

The survivors had gathered round the fire on the beach. Little did they know that on a far side of the beach two figures emerged from the calm ocean. They limped and struggled to stay on their feet. The bright moonlight created twinkling diamonds on the dark surface of the water. 

A man and woman were now walking towards the group of survivors, lured by the flickering shadow dance of the fire. They did not know who or what would be awaiting them – it was the powerful instinct to survive that told them to find out what was there.

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A.D. Skinner was the first to notice the arrival of the two fellow survivors.

'Hey! Someone's approaching! There's two of 'em!' he said, while he got up and pointed at the shadowy figures that were slowly walking towards them.

'Shouldn't we go and help them?' Mulder's squeaky voice sounded from behind Skinner. But before Skinner could turn around to shoot a murderous look at him, one of the strangers called out to them.

'Hey! It's us, Monica and Brad!' the woman yelled.

'What happened to you guys?' Mulder asked when they all sat down again.

'I guess we drifted off to the other side of the island' Brad began, 'Monica and I had been together ever since… the ehm, uhm, accident.'

He found it difficult to express what had happened, especially because it had been lightning-quick. One moment they were laughing over a stupid joke Monica had told and the other moment they were being hurled out of their seats and fell head-first into the ocean. Then came the water, surrounding them entirely. The fierce kicking and flailing, the mute screams that produced nothing but bubbles, the terrified feeling of claustrophia and the shock of seeing a dead body float by, sinking slowly to the bottom of the ocean.

'We swam and swam until we felt like we would lose our limbs' Monica continued, 'and just when we thought it was over we reached this place' – she pointed to the jungle and the beach – 'and I knew that our guardian angels had done an excellent job.'

'Wow' was all Scully could say in reply. She nodded her head and smiled and patted Monica on the shoulder.

'I'm so glad you two made it.' she whispered.

'So where's John?' Monica asked, looking around the beach. When the other began to shuffle uncomfortably and exchanged strange looks, a worm inside her belly reared its ugly head and began to take tiny bites of her guts.

_Why are they looking at each other like that? Why won't they tell me what happened to him? Is he all right? Oh God, he's probably dead. Or seriously injured. What is going on?_

Monica's head was churning out various scenario's and none of them had a happy end. She feared the worst and was preparing herself for the shock of hearing Scully or Skinner say that her partner was dead.

'He's gone out for a walk with his ex.. uhm ex-wife. You know, Barbara.' Skinner said.

'Barbara is here?' Monica blurted, a bit too loud. She began to blush and stared at her feet.

'Yeah, she is' Scully sighed.

She wanted to add 'and it's like they never got divorced' but decided to keep that part to herself. Mulder was in the neighbourhood – she didn't want him to do crazy stuff because of one slip of the tongue. Scully knew that Mulder had always been crazy about her. And there had been times when she felt ready to try and love him in return. But then Doggett arrived on the scene and she was smitten. Now she realized that it was not meant to be. Though Doggett was like a magnet, attracting women wherever he went, only one lucky individual by the name of Barbara could claim ownership of his heart.

'Well, if that isn't coincidence!' Monica said, sarcastically.

All of a sudden she felt incredibly jealous. She didn't know why - at first it seemed like Doggett had betrayed her even though they had never engaged in a relationship. But she did have a crush on him. Was it worth the distress, the anger? No, it wasn't. This was useless. She had to let go. Fortunately there's Brad. Today he had shown that some things never change. He had been so helpful, so caring. She turned her head to look at him. He smiled at her and she returned that friendly gesture.

_How could I ever be so wrong? John never had feelings for me. I'm sure he liked me but that's because he's such a polite person. I should've never left Brad. I should've been smarter than that. Perhaps God is giving me a second chance. I have to take it or I'll regret if for the rest of my life. Which might not be long considering the mess we're in._

'What's up?' Brad's voice disturbed the flood of thoughts that kept her silent.

'Nothing. I was just.. thinking.'

Monica could slap herself for saying such silly things. She'd never acted that way around Brad. No matter how much she wanted to hide in the darkness of the jungle, his eyes would calm her down and allow her to be herself. He would not judge her because of this. He would understand. Because he felt the exact same feelings for her and he was eager to let it show.

'That's our Monica' Brad grinned. He put his hand on top of hers. Their hands locked and they began to giggle like a couple of teenagers.

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John and Barbara were walking hand in hand through the jungle. The undergrowth consisted of dead leaves and small sticks. The twigs snapped and crunched as they walked on. They had decided to stay close to the beach but soon they couldn't tell which direction would bring them back there and which direction would lead deeper into the heart of darkness.

'John, I do believe we're lost.' Barbara pulled his elbow and bit her lip. She then realized the absurdity and ambiguity of that phrase. Not only were they lost in the jungle (at night!), they were also stuck on an island – in the middle of nowhere, as it seemed.

'I'm afraid you're right.' Doggett replied as he scanned the area for any clues that might help them remember if they had already passed the place where they were now standing.

'And to tell you the truth, I'm scared.' Barbara added as she locked hands with Doggett.

'We'll get out of here, don't you worry. You'll see, we'll find a way out.' Doggett said, half to himself. He gave Barbara one of those heavenly smiles and gently kissed her forehead.

It was quiet in the jungle. Only the sound of the wind as it rushed through the leaves could be heard. In the distance they heard a faint beat, much like a slow heartbeat that reverberated through the ground whereon they stood. It passed through every substance, every leaf, every piece of fabric.

'John' Barbara almost mouthed his name. 'Something's out there. I think it's coming our way.'

'You're hallucinating, dear. There's nothing there. There's only us. And we need to get back to the others, we need to find the way back to the beach.'

Doggett tried to reassure her but she kept shaking her head and clenched her fists.

'This place is not okay. It's not safe out here.'

'Hey, don't blame it on me! It was your idea to go for a walk in the.., ehm woods' Doggett grinned.

'I'm not joking. I can feel something's wrong.'

'Jeez. And I thought you weren't interested in paranormal stuff and that. I mean, didn't you say you thought it was all crap and make-believe?'

Doggett was non-plussed by Barbara's sudden change of behaviour.

'Com'on. Let's keep on walking. That's definitely safer than just standing here, waiting for the monsters to come and eat us.' He paused. 'Oh sorry dear. I mean, not that I don't believe you but, well, I have this feeling that we are the only living creatures in this place. You can't even hear a single bird out here!'

And so they continued. The island knew they were coming. And it waited.

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A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who commented on the previous chapters – thank you for your support, I really appreciate it. Especially the person who pointed out how to enable anonymous comments: I finally figured it out , so thanks for your help.

Oh yeah, I deliberately added the phrase 'heart of darkness' because we discussed Joseph Conrad's novel during English Literary History II. I hope somebody went 'ah-ha!' whilst reading this chapter.

I know this was a quick update. Might take a while until I update again, though...


	4. Fingerspitzengefühl

They say every human as a hidden sixth sense. Sometimes it becomes active and helps us avoid life-threatening situations. The island had triggered the sixth sense within the survivors. Some recognized and accepted it immediately whereas others ignored it. 

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While Mulder, Skinner and Follmer were trying to erect a small building, using whatever scraps and leaves they could find on and beyond the beach, Scully and Monica were sitting beneath a palm tree. The men were slaving away in the sun's merciless heat. They didn't like to approach the jungle after sunset unless it was absolutely necessary. Whatever was waiting for them did not feel eager to show its true form. They didn't know what they were being afraid of – their sixth sense told them to be careful and it takes a stubborn soul to ignore such a wise and powerful warning.

Monica and Scully were lost in thoughts. Both women were having trying to understand why John Doggett had suddenly disappeared, not just out of sight but also out of their hearts. Was he just playing around? Had it been Barbara all that time? Were they simply too blinded by love to notice? But John Doggett seemed to like them both. And yet, he didn't look like the kind of guy who enjoyed and savoured to get a woman's attention only to dump her like a dirty old rag afterwards. No, he wasn't like that. He was honest, warm, loving. All gone, out of reach. (oh! How they longed to be able to hold him at night, to be held and hugged and kissed by him!) Nothing you can do about that, just accept what you have lost now belongs to someone else.

'Hey, uhm, ladies! If you don't mind, we'd sure appreciate some help, y'know!' Mulder's voice interrupted the steady flow of thoughts that kept Monica and Scully silent. They sighed and got up.

'You forgot to say the magic word' Scully said dryly.

'Oh, right' Mulder paused. 'Ehm, please?'

'That's better!' Monica grinned.

'What can we do, gentlemen?' Scully asked as they approached.

'Whatever you please' Skinner replied. He pointed at the stack of wood and leaves on the beach.

'And you're sure you can turn this, errr, _stuff _into a.. what?' Monica looked slightly puzzled.

'A building, Agent Reyes.' Skinner sighed at that much ignorance.

Monica could sense the hostility that was directed toward her and her mouth tightened into a thin line. She shook her head and looked past Skinner, showing that his comment hadn't inflicted any damage.

'Fine' she mumbled. I'll be off for a walk. Since you're all busy ignoring me this is probably the best thing I can do.'

And so she turned and walked towards the jungle, ignoring the small voice inside of her head that screamed to stay on the beach, where she'd be safe. She couldn't obey, for she had always been a stubborn person. And the one thing she hated more than being physically hurt was being reduced to a worthless nonentity.

'Monica, wait! Where are you going?' Brad yelled but she pretended not to have heard him and walked on steadily. A tear ran down her cheek – it created a glistening trail on her skin and dissolved the moment it hit the sand.

The air was thick and moist. It felt as if every trace of oxygen had been sucked out of it. Monica had to slow her pace. Her lungs were burning already, so dense was the foggy air that hovered through the exotic landscape around her. Trees reached up to the sky and created a green roof through which scarce rays shone down on the undergrowth. Monica liked this place, even though her sixth sense told her it was dangerous out here. Soon, however, she would realize why this voice kept insisting that she should rejoin the others on the beach.

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Some fifteen miles north of where Monica entered the jungle, John and Barbara were following what appeared to be a path.

'John, this path couldn't have been made by animals. It's definitely a sign that we aren't the only humans on this island.'

Barbara's voice sounded excited. She hoped that the path would lead them to these people, and she was certain that they could help them find the way back to the beach. But then she wondered why anyone would like to stay here.

_This island isn't the best home on Earth. It feels wrong to make this your permanent home. Even if you couldn't swim any further, you shouldn't stay here longer than necessary, you should try to find a way out of here as soon as possible._

They had to walk slow and the lack of oxygen in the air forced to take a break every ten minutes. They didn't know whether this was such a good idea. Then again, neither Barbara nor John felt like doubting the instinct that urged them to trust the path that led through the dark jungle.

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Monica's eyes grew big and her mouth slowly opened. She held a hand in front of it when a loud gasp escaped. Her breath stalled and then grew faster and shallower.

A few steps further, propped up against the root of a tree, lay a skeleton. It wasn't human, that much was sure. At first sight, this appeared to be the remains of a deer. Monica approached the bones with care. She couldn't tell whether this was some wicked illusion or reality. In the middle of the ribcage was a big hole. It was too big to be caused by a bullet, so whoever (or whatever?) killed this poor animal had stabbed it. But how can you stab right through the ribs like this? No ordinary knife is that sharp – and no ordinary human (or animal?) has that much power. No, it couldn't have been a bear, either. Bears don't live in a jungle, do they? Monica wasn't sure anymore. This island had its secrets, who knows what weird creatures it harboured. For all she knew, the predator who killed this deer was in need of food. There were no visible signs of teeth on the bones, though. Monica knew that most predators liked to chew on the bones of their prey and it seemed reasonable to assume that in order to get all the meat off, you would eventually bite on the bones. Another theory began to take shape. Perhaps this creature was not killed to still a raging hunger. Had it been self-defence? But deer don't attack, unless they are being attacked, right?

Something stirred in the bushes behind her. Monica turned her head towards the sound and then ran back to the beach without looking back.

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The path swirled up to a plain of high grass that was swaying to and fro as the soft gale passed over it. The clouds at the horizon were getting darker – a sure sign of a storm that would soon cover the island in rain and thunder. John and Barbare stood still, observing the landscape that revealed itself tot hem. They had left the jungle behind – but the path kept on going and so there was no time to consider another option. Curiosity got the best of them and they moved on, unaware of the presence of another creature. It was quietly waiting on the outskirts of the jungle. The moment John and Barbara walked on, it got up and followed them. It moved stealthily and swiftly.

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Okay, sorry for the delay. Next time I'll write more. way more. I already have a storyline worked out for the fifth chapter, which is a good thing.

Next week the Easter break begins. Maybe I'll be able to update very soon, we'll see.


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